Criminal Justice Network lists five urgent topics to be addressed in first 100 days of government
The group denounces the failure of the current criminal policy, which has made Brazil the country with the highest absolute number of murders
8.549 armas obsoletas e sem condições de uso na atividade policial são destruídas como parte das ações estruturantes conduzidas pelo Gabinete de Intervenção Federal, no Batalhão de Manutenção e Suprimento de Armas do Exército, na Vila Militar, zona oeste da cidade.Foto Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil
The Criminal Justice Network released this Thursday, September 1, its agenda of proposals for the 2022 elections. The document, called “It’s for Justice”, presents five urgent topics to be addressed in the first 100 days of government related to criminal justice and public security. The agenda claims that the criminal policy adopted in Brazil has actually increased crime, making it the country with the highest absolute number of murders on the planet and the eighth most violent country in the world, according to the ranking of the UNODC, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Among its proposals, the group emphasized the urgency of reducing the ability of civilians to buy guns with calibers used predominantly by the security forces. Since 2019, 550,000 people have obtained a gun license as collectors, sports shooters and hunters, which is granted by the Army. This represents an increase of 307% compared to all such licenses that existed prior to 2019.
The Criminal Justice Network also noted the poor conditions in Brazilian prisons, which are subject to overcrowding, lack of adequate food, difficulties accessing justice and use of torture and other inhumane treatment. As a proposal to alleviate this situation, it recommends prioritizing the application of alternative sentences for non-violent offenses while also stepping up the prevention and combating of torture, by guaranteeing the independence and remuneration of the experts serving on the MNPCT (National Torture Prevention Mechanism).
“Brazil does not need more guns on the streets or tougher prison sentences. We are backsliding with respect to public security and we need solutions that genuinely tackle the problem of violence and widening social inequalities,” said Janine Salles de Carvalho, executive secretary of the Criminal Justice Network. “The issues we have placed on the agenda are complex problems that require the active participation not only of government bodies, but also the collaboration of different sectors of society to achieve better results,” she concluded.
The Criminal Justice Network is a coalition is nine organizations that has been working since 2010 in opposition to mass incarceration and in support of a public security and justice system that does not violate human rights. The organizations that form the network are: Conectas Human Rights, Center for Studies on Public Security and Citizenship (CESeC), Office of Legal Counsel to Grassroots Organizations (GAJOP), Ideas Assessoria Popular, Defenders of Human Rights Institute (DDH), Defense of the Right to a Defense Institute (IDDD), Land, Labor and Citizenship Institute, Sou da Paz Institute and Justiça Global. See the proposals here.
